Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education

Educational Resources

Bibliographies

Lailah Tov, Boker Tov: Going to Sleep and Waking Up Jewishly

Selected Resources by
by Nancy M. Messinger, Director of Educational Resources

BOOKS, WEBSITES, MUSIC, CRAFTS, ETC.:

BOOKS:

Bedtime Stories of Jewish Holidays by Shmuel Blitz, illustrated by Liat Binyamini Ariel. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1998.
Twenty-one stories, for Shabbat and festivals, as well as Rosh Hodesh, with beautiful color illustrations. The stories are set in both the Old World and America.

Bedtime Stories of Jewish Values by Shmuel Blitz, illustrated by Liat Binyamini Ariel. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1998.
Each story in this book illustrates a mitzvah or middah in a simple and enjoyable manner. The "moral" of each story is elucidated at the end.

Bedtime Stories to Make You Smile illustrated by Tova Katz. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 2003. Funny, warm and clever stories to help children relax and enjoy bedtime.

Dream: A Jewish Bedtime Book, written and illustrated by Howard M. Kurtz. Los Angeles, CA: Pigment and Hue, Inc., 2001.
With simple rhymes and full-color illustrations, this bedtime book alludes to a number of Jewish concepts and rituals.

Good Morning, Boker Tov by Michelle Shapiro Abraham, illustrated by Selina Alko. New York, NY: UAHC Press, 2001.
Using easy text and color illustrations, this book teaches the Modeh Ani and its meaning. The Modeh Ani is given in Hebrew, in transliteration, and in translation.

Good Night,Lailah Tov by Michelle Shapiro Abraham, illustrated by Selina Alko. New York, NY: UAHC Press, 2001.
with simple text and color illustrations, this book teaches the idea of caring behavior to little ones. It includes the Shema in Hebrew, transliteration and translation.

Good Night Little Lambs: Jewish Bedtime Stories by C.L. Grunfield. New York, NY: Judaica Press, 2001.
This is a collection of bedtime stories from Tanach and Midrashic sources. In a playful twist, each story is related by a mother animal, of the type involved in that story, to her babies!

A Treasury of Bedtime Stories by Shmuel Blitz, illustrated by Liat Binyamini Ariel. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1996.
Beautifully illustrated parables on Jewish precepts, conveyed through Jewish characters and situations.

When You Lie Down and When You Rise Up: Nightstand Meditations by Harold Shulweis. Encino, CA: Valley Beth Shalom, 2001. Selected inspirational readings for both evening and morning prayer time. Appropriate for adults and older children.

WEBSITES, MUSIC, CRAFTS, ETC.:

www.chabad.org - "Rudder of the Day" by Yaakov Lieder.
This article by Chabad Rabbi Yaakov Lieder offers a positive, relaxed and spiritual Jewish scenario for starting a child's day.

www.chaikids.com/bedtime.htm
At this site (and probably at many other Judaica sites and stores) one can purchase a "Laila Tov" night light in pink or blue, as well as other Jewish items for bedtime.

http://jewishfamily.com/lifestyles.html
Click on "How Worship is Like Bedtime" for an article by Rabbi Daniel Gropper comparing prayer and bedtime rituals and offering constructive guidelines.

http://www.milwaukeejewish.org/jewishlife_home.html
Click on "Creative Bedtime Rituals" for a very helpful article by Debra Nussbaum Cohen on Ending the Day with a Jewish connection.

http://uahc.org/educate/pdfdl/wakeup_rituals.pdf - Wake Up Rituals: Crafting Jewish Traditions for Young Children.

Resources for creating daily rituals with your child, including waking up, washing, before eating, before leaving the house, kissing the mezuzah and in the car.

http://uahcweb.org/press/bedtime/ - Bedtime Rituals: Crafting Jewish Traditions for Young Children.
This site includes the Shema in English, Hebrew and transliteration, suggestions for ending the day Jewishly and offers three "Bedtime Rituals" packages for purchase: "The Moon," "The Stars," and "The Sky."

Boker Tov, Play Songs for Day, Laila Tov, Quiet Songs for Night: Favorite Hebrew, English and Yiddish Songs for Families with July Caplan Ginsburgh, 1989.
A charming cassette tape with songs, lyrics and activities for both morning and evening rituals.

Days of Wonder, Nights of Peace: Family Prayers in Songs for Morning and Bedtime by Mah Tovu. Springfield, NJ: Behrman House, Inc., 2001.
A four-song cd and an activity booklet designed to bring a Jewish component to the bedtime and morning rituals of families with young children. The songs are based upon four prayers: Modeh Ani, Yotzer Or, Modim, and Hashkiveinu.

From Generation to Generation: A Legacy of Lullabies by Tanja Solnik. Dream Song Recordings. www.tanjasolnik.com.
Beautiful lullabies in Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino that adults and children alike can enjoy.

Jewish Bedtime Copy-pak. Santa Barbara, CA: Pitome Publishing,www.pitome.com 2003.
A packet which includes a bedtime prayer, an exploration of sweet and scary dreams, a resource review and activities/suggestions for inviting God into the room.

Jewish Lullabies. Split Track Recording. www.jewishmusic.com - Tara Publications.
Ten soothing Jewish lullabies performed first with voices, and then as instrumentals. The English is interwoven with the Yiddish and the lyrics are included in transliteration.

Modeh Ani/Shema Yisroel poster by Adrienne Kuperberg.www.judaicaforkids.com. This beautiful poster makes a lovely addition to a child 's room. Useful for classrooms, too.

Shema Pillowcase Template. Santa Barbara, CA: Pitome Publishing, www.pitome.com 2003.
A craft project which enables children to create a customized pillowcase with the Shema on it. Kits including fabric markers, paints, brushes and sponges are also available.